Interview With Arm Re: Cortex Chips (pandora)

[lizard808uk]

I sourced this article from Astalavista.. --> ARM into Netbooks

QUOTE
Mr. Coombs added that certain processor developers were “playing around with gigahertz speeds” using Cortex-A8 architecture.


Wonder who they mean

 

[kloplop321]

nice find.
I think this will really help linux step forward, as it (of course) runs on practically anything; yet here, if normal notebooks are on arm, then Windows CE is limited as it is to mostly M$ software, yet there are repositories full of stuff for everybody.
I wonder what the next-gen processor will be in 10 years, intel, AMD, or Ti?

 

[sam fisher]

I sourced this article from Astalavista.. --> ARM into Netbooks

QUOTE
Mr. Coombs added that certain processor developers were “playing around with gigahertz speeds” using Cortex-A8 architecture.


Wonder who they mean

They mean TI (possibly) but certainly not the Pandora team as they are not processor developers. They buy FROM the processor developers (in this case TI).

 

[Squidge]

and we also know that the OMAP3 isn't capable of gigahertz speeds - that requires a different silicon.

 

[kloplop321]

silicon is an element, so what do you mean a "different kind"?

 

[Geuben]

He means a different chip/SoC that was designed to run at GHz speeds.

 

[kloplop321]

so the durability of the silicon arrangement?

 

[mali]

so the durability of the silicon arrangement?

The cortex on OMAP3 is verified to run at 600MHz to 900MHz. In the production of the die, different maximum speeds are possible, depending on chance and tuning the process. The chips are sorted out and assigned to their respective speeds.

 

[kloplop321]

that still does not answer my question..

 

[mali]

that still does not answer my question..

Could you clarify your question, please? I don't know what you mean, then.

Edit:
You can call a chip/die colloquially 'silicon', but it is not meant the element silicon.

 

[Vorporeal]

silicon is an element, so what do you mean a "different kind"?

People often use the word "silicon" when they're referring to a chip. Him saying "a different silicon" means that a different ARM processor would be needed to hit 1GHz. It's synecdoche (a part representing the whole).

 

[Squidge]

that still does not answer my question..

It all down to have the silicon was built, and you can never have 100% guaranteed results even if the silicon was designed to run in the gigahertz speed range. Manufacturing defects can mean only slower speeds are possible. This is best explained here

 

[Loon]

If it's verified to run at 900MHz I bet I won't be the first to attempt to clock it to 1GHz. Just as soon as the portable usb water cooling system is installed and fully operational.

 

[atomicthumbs]

silicon is an element, so what do you mean a "different kind"?

Silicon is slang for "chip design revision".

 

[Svartalf]

and we also know that the OMAP3 isn't capable of gigahertz speeds - that requires a different silicon.

I'll bet it's something like Snapdragon. Having said that, though, 100MHz is a miniscule jump in performance overall. I'd rather have 200-900MHz and A9 on the SoC over a 1GHz A8 based SoC.

 

[kloplop321]

yes that was very informative squide.

"No two processors are alike. Just as two ‘sibling’ processors coded one digit apart in their batch will overclock to different levels, those two ‘sibling’ processors will react differently to overvoltage.

Our hardware is unique, and needs to be treated uniquely, on a case-by-case basis."

 

[.Gogeta§§J4BR.]

that still does not answer my question..

I wish I could answer that
technically I was supposed to know enough to explain it but I didn't really study for my electronics exam last week as much as I should've

 

[likwidoxigen]

and we also know that the OMAP3 isn't capable of gigahertz speeds - that requires a different silicon.

Wait, so none of the OMAP3 SoC's use the GP Cortex A8 design? If not where the heck would you go to buy a SoC that uses it? I mean OMAP3 is their high-performance design...

(If i'm missing something please point it out.)

 

[mali]

and we also know that the OMAP3 isn't capable of gigahertz speeds - that requires a different silicon.

Wait, so none of the OMAP3 SoC's use the GP Cortex A8 design? If not where the heck would you go to buy a SoC that uses it? I mean OMAP3 is their high-performance design...

(If i'm missing something please point it out.)


The Pandoras Cortex A8 integrated in the SoC runs at 600MHz-900MHz.
That's it.

Edit:
To clarify, the Cortex can be used in other SoCs or as stand alone CPU. The article isn't about the OMAP3 in particular, it's about Cortex in general.

 

[MonkeyChops]

Isn't 600 the under clock speed and 900 the "normal" speed? and if so, won't we see faster than 900 over clock speeds?

Will the pandora be shipped with a way to test the maximum over clock speed? If not is there a program I can download to test it with?